Verbals

Question

Guys...is that sentence true?(always)Even for Past Participles?Do Past participles always act as Adjective and never as nouns?

BillJ · Accepted Answer

No! Participles are primarily verbs and occasionally adjectives. And gerunds are verbs and occasionally nouns.

In the last two examples you cited, singing and laughing are verbs. More specifically, they are heading subjectless non-finite clauses.

Past participles are verbs and occasionally adjectives, but not nouns.

CalifJim · Answer

ragnarealGuys...is that sentence true? (always)
Even for Past Participles?

I assume you mean the two header sentences.

In order to work as a verb in a sentence, all participles must have a helping verb. A participle without a helping verb is being used as either a participle or a gerund.

It seems to me that they are speaking loosely here. They are saying that when you see a participle form (present or past participle) accompanied by an auxiliary verb (was taking; has seen; are thrown), you're dealing with a finite clause, and when you see a participle form without an auxiliary verb, you're dealing with a non-finite clause (leaving out the case where a participle form serves as an adjective: an interesting story). The non-finite clause might be a participle clause (with a present or past participle form) or a gerund clause (present participle form only).

Except for the fact that you can't create a gerund clause with a past participle form, and for the fact that you have to apply a generous interpretation to what is being explained, the sentences (in blue) are "always true", even for past participles.

ragnarealDo Past participles always act as Adjective and never as nouns?

Participles are verb forms, but they can act as adjectives as well.

No, they don't act as nouns, though it can occasionally look that way: The invading army slaughtered the defeated.

CJ

BillJ · Answer

ragnareal
Guys...is that sentence true?(always)
Even for Past Participles?
Do Past participles always act as Adjective and never as nouns?

The statement is not in any way whatsoever true. The last two examples that were given contradict the statement in that the items "singing" and "laughing" are actually verbs. How ridiculous is that?

Ignore the statement - it's complete nonsense and an example of linguistic ineptitude.

Verbals

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